Tasty & Healthy

Vegetarian Burgers Are Veritable Salt Bombs

Research has pointed out that vegetarian burgers and sausages contain the same amount of salt as five bags of chips

By Monica Gaza, Life & Style Editor

19th of May 2008, 15:04 GMT

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Vegetarian hamburgers are bad news for your health

We live in the age of fast-food and whether we like it or not, hamburgers and sausages are pretty much part of our daily lives to a greater extent than we'd like to admit. By its very definition, fast food is a quick, easy-fix apparent solution for those evenings when we're feeling too tired or when we're not motivated to cook proper food.

However, as we very well know, fast food equals junk food and for those of us struggling to lead healthy, well-balanced lifestyles the calorific bomb hidden in today's appetizing fast-food products is a definite no-no. However, some of us

may have imagined at some point that the so-called "meat-free", vegetarian products can occasionally act as healthier replacements for the traditional beef and pork - only to be proven wrong.

The latest research indicates that replacing old-fashioned junk food with vegetarian substitutes may turn out to be even worse than actually eating a traditional burger. A study conducted by the Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) association revealed that some vegetarian burgers and sausages contain the same amount of salt as five bags of chips.

The maximum recommended daily salt intake for an adult is about 6 grams, while for children it ranges somewhere between 3 and 5 grams a day. However, more than one brand of vegetarian sausages currently available on the market contain no less than 5.6g of salt per serving - which means that eating only one such sausage would give you the amount of salt needed for a whole day. And let's face it - how many of us can stop after just one?

"With the barbecue season already upon us, many people may think that going meat-free is a healthier option. We would urge them to look carefully at the labeling to help make sure that they are buying lower-salt products wherever they can", urged CASH nutritionist Carrie Bolt. "Confusingly, many of these products give only the sodium levels on pack. These need to be multiplied by 2.5 to get the salt levels".

Excess salt consumption, nutritionists and heart disease specialists warn us, is very bad news for our health. "We all need to make sure we eat less salt, as the amount that we currently eat puts up our blood pressure and this is the major cause of strokes and heart attacks", warned Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at St George's Hospital Medical School in London, quoted by the Daily Mail. Keep a close eye on your salt intake, and if possible, avoid eating such products altogether - it may be tough on your appetite, but you're definitely giving your heart a helping hand.

TAGS:

vegetarian burgers | chips | salt intake | heart disease

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